HCMCity (VNS/VNA) - There have been no more cases of COVID-19 in Ho Chi MinhCity since one person was diagnosed with it at Tan Son Nhat Airport inFebruary, but the city Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and Departmentof Health said the risk of an outbreak remains high.   

The riskis from a number of different sources, according to the centre.

HCMCity has many major hospitals that admit patients from other provinces andcities who cannot be treated in their hometown, and so they are crowded withpatients and their relatives.    

ChoRay Hospital, for instance, admits nearly 6,000 patients from elsewhere eachday. 

Speakingat a meeting with a city inspection team led by Chairman of the People’sCommittee Nguyen Thanh Phong on May 10, the hospital’s director Dr Nguyen TriThuc said Cho Ray faced a high risk of COVID transmission.  

Thebiggest threat was in its emergency ward which admits around 350 patientsdaily, he said.

Toensure safety, the hospital tests all patients who have symptoms related to therespiratory tract like cough and fever for COVID.

Thosecoming without relatives are presumed to be COVID patients, and the medicalstaff strictly comply with preventive measures.        

Thehospital also requires everyone to fill an online health declaration form whenentering.

Ithas nearly 200 staff standing in for patients’ relatives to give care, and theyare also regarded as a transmission risk, and the management keeps them underclose surveillance and tests them for COVID.  

Phonginstructed the hospital to prepare scenarios for admitting a large number ofvery sick patients simultaneously.

People’sHospital 115, another major medical centre, admits nearly 3,000 patients daily.It has set up a COVID screening area well away from the rest of its facilitiesto reduce the risk of transmission.

Quarantine areas

Speakingat a meeting of the city Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Controlon May 10, Phong said the risk of transmission in the city’s numerousquarantine facilities is very high, and threatens community spread ifpreventive measures are not carried out scrupulously.  “Peoplethere should strictly comply with protocols to prevent transmission.”

Authoritiesshould monitor the health of people who have returned from quarantinefacilities since they could still spread infection despite testing negative forCOVID three times, he said.

“Eachdistrict needs to maintain one quarantine area with at least 20 beds expandableto 50 beds within 24 days."

Pointingout the city has more than 19,000 community-based COVID-prevention teams, hesaid local health officials should utilise them to detect illegal immigrantsand contact trace people who come into close contact with patients.   

High risk at ports

Speakingat a meeting between the Department of Health, Maritime Administration of HCMCity and other relevant agencies last week, Dr Nguyen Tri Dung, head of thecity Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said the transmission risk atports is not unlike at the airport.

Thecity has one airport and nearly 60 ports.

Foreignships that arrive after docking in other countries could have infected crewmembers, he warned.        

Shipsshould be regarded as quarantine areas, and there should be strict surveillanceof people entering and leaving them, and all people should comply withpreventive measures and fill health declaration forms, he added.  

NgoQuang Hung, deputy director of the Maritime Administration of HCM City, saidclose collaboration between agencies and enterprises operating at ports andborder guards is imperative to keep an eye on people embarking and disembarkingfrom ships.  

Portsthat fail to adopt COVID prevention measures should not be allowed to dockships, he said.

NguyenTan Binh, head of the department, said three crew members of the MD SUN thatdocked at Phuoc Long Depot No.5 in Nha Be district tested positive for thedisease.    

Phongsaid COVID prevention teams should strengthen communication to help limitcontacts between ship crews and people living around ports and depots.  

Heinstructed the Department of Health to build field hospitals with 5,000 beds toprepare for a scenario where 30,000 are infected as required by Prime MinisterPham Minh Chinh.  

Thecity has sufficient test kits for 15,000 samples within 24 hours if needed.  

Thecity has modelled various COVID scenarios, and four more quarantine areas witha total of more than 10,000 beds are being builtnow./.